Rocket Scientist Needed

That’s it.

This BCS thing is about as clear as one of the Magic Art deals they schlep in the mall.

No matter how long you stare at that infernal poll nothing becomes clear. Four hours or four days, it doesn’t matter. In the end, you just wind up stumbling away like you’ve been force fed a Dorf on Football marathon.

Is it Oklahoma-Miami in the national championship game? Well, maybe.

How about Florida State-Miami? Again maybe.

Or even Washington and somebody? Could be. Could be.

About the only thing the BCS has figured out is how to aggravate coaches and fans. What in the heck is Florida State doing ahead of Miami, anyway? Who cares if the Seminoles beat Duke, Wake Forest and the Lighthouse for the Blind by a combined score of 364 to 2. Miami beat Florida State. It’s as simple as that.

“The biggest problem is how important the margin of victory has become for the rankings,” said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. That’s right, even the No. 1 BCS team is complaining. And Stoops is not alone.

“I’m not sure how it was originally intended, but it doesn’t make much sense to me,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said in his teleconference this week. “They have created some No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, but I don’t think the selection system is all that trustworthy.”

Not trustworthy? College football? All this time I never put the two thoughts together. Hmm, maybe if I’d graduated from SMU I’d have figured that out earlier.

Anyway, the one thing fans can trust is that there still is the possibility this whole mess can be straightened out on the field where it should be.

All Oklahoma has to do is win out. If the Sooners do that they will be the only undefeated team and deserve to go to the Orange Bowl.

Now, as for finding their opponent, that’s another matter.

Miami must win at Syracuse (The Canes are 5-2 in the Carrier Dome). If they do and a couple of other things happen, the Hurricanes deserve to play the Sooners.

But first, Florida must beat Florida State and then lose in the SEC championship. That way both teams would have two losses. If Florida State wins, even with a Miami win it will be the Seminoles, not the Hurricanes, in the Orange Bowl. (Again, the Hurricanes beat FSU earlier this year.)

Additionally, for Miami to play at home Jan. 1, Washington has to lose at Washington State. If the Huskies win, they will be 10-1 and have a win over 10-1 Miami. Don’t they deserve a shot at the Sooners?

Anybody got one of those behind-the-eyes headaches yet?

Well, the coaches sure do.

“I don’t think this is a fair way to judge 114 teams,” said Snyder. “And I think it’s probably true that it’s just an excuse not to have a playoff.”

“We obviously have to do something to improve the system,” added Stoops. “One solution might be to have each conference champion play another conference champion, and then start the BCS with the winners.”

That sounds logical. It’ll never happen though because I think I just figured out what the hidden picture in the BCS poll is - a dollar sign. Wonder what the NCAA’s hidden meaning in that is?

Sign of the times

Last week at the Tennessee-Arkansas game in Neyland Stadium, two Vols fans wearing masks of presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore, unfurled a sign that read: “The Electoral College. Another Florida school we can hate.”

Sign of the times, part 2

Tickets for this weekend’s Civil War between No. 5 Oregon and No.8 Oregon State are being scalped for $250.

Florida-Florida State

Before you hit the betting windows today or start spouting predictions concerning the matchup of No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 Florida, you might want to consider a few things: First, Florida State has not lost at Doak Campbell Stadium in 51 games. Secondly, Florida coach Steve Spurrier is 5-7 against Bobby Bowden’s boys.

Wait, there’s more. In the past five seasons, FSU is 55-5, lost just one ACC game and has appeared in three national title games, winning once.